Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! This keeps tormenting me!

Chapter Two: Decisions

The sun had risen to welcome dawn; slowly diminishing the darkness night had brought. Its light spread heavenly across the skies, creating a beautiful shade of red and orange to illuminate the village of Konoha that lay peacefully below it.

Yet the brightness of the day outside contrasted greatly with the havoc that had risen in the Hokage mansion. A search had begun earlier during the night and there were a few ANBU scattered near the front entrance of the building. In the Rokudaime Hokage's mind, this day was meant to be ordinary. He was supposed to leave for Sunagakure to attend a conference with the other village leaders. However, his departure was delayed. By the disappearance of his son.

Naruto stood in the entrance hallway of the mansion, next to Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. The blonde was tired from worry and lack of sleep. He, along with Sakura, hadn't slept the entire night waiting eagerly for the appearance of their son. After Masato had left the house angrily, they waited almost an hour for him to return. Two hours later, their patience was wearing thin. Naruto had already finished his preparations for his journey to Sunagakure. He wanted to talk to Masato. He himself wanted so badly to spend time with him. Naruto wanted to apologise and make it up to his son, whichever way he could. Sadly, that didn't happen. He couldn't find Masato anywhere. He couldn't even sense him nearby. It was sometime before he summoned the ANBU before him to spread the search beyond the village borders.

"Naruto-sama," a voice spoke behind him.

He turned around to find Yagami Koushiro, captain of the internal ANBU team. He was one of the three escorts that were meant to be going to Sunagakure with him. Naruto nodded in greeting, his face set hard with the stress of the situation. "Yes, Koushiro?"

"I understand how much this current problem is affecting you both," Koushiro said, taking off his mask to show respect to the couple. He cleared his throat and continued more abruptly. "But if it's alright, may I suggest that we start heading towards Sunagakure?"

Naruto could sense Sakura's irritation by the way she started rubbing her knuckles with her right hand. He reached out and took her left hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. He stared at Koushiro and said, "We will go. But only after I receive indication of my son's whereabouts."

"I understand that, Naruto-sama. However, the Kazekage did add that the conference was urgent – and for you to be there as soon as possible … Naruto-sama – there are lots of people here in the village that are helping you look for your son. I'm certain they shall find him while we're away."

Naruto frowned, and shook his head, "Masato needs me the most right now."

As soon as he spoke his son's name, he felt fear beginning to squeeze his heart. That feeling, he had experienced several times – ever since he predicted that Masato wasn't within the border of the entire village. It was only his belief in Masato that kept him strong. He had to be … for both himself and Sakura.

"Naruto-sama," Koushiro said, more persistently. "The village needs you as well. Its fate rests on you … this seems important if the other Kages will be present too."

Naruto sighed heavily. As much as he wanted to resist, he knew Koushiro was right. Gaara had said that there was a serious problem rising and that news of it was to be spread throughout the countries. It was a wonder that such news hadn't reached Konoha yet, but through Naruto it would be. It was also true that if Naruto left, there would be a number of comrades who would be willing to search for Masato during his absence. Naruto looked at his black-haired friend, who was standing to his left.

"Sasuke … can you look for Masato while I'm gone? Please?"

Sasuke nodded, his face set with resolve. "You didn't even have to ask."

"Thanks …" Naruto smiled gratefully at him, then turned back to Koushiro. "Gather Satoshi and Kousuke. I'll meet you three at the gates in a few minutes."

"Hai!"

In a flash, Koushiro was gone. Naruto placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder and turned her to face him. His blue eyes scanned her features, which were disheartened with anxiety. It was obvious. She was the mother. She remained strong throughout the night and bravely faced ANBU members when they questioned her. But now, she seemed wasted of energy. Her normally bright green eyes were now dim with grief and he could see cuts on her lips form where she had bitten down on them. His other hand reached out to rest against her cheek and he gently ran his thumb over her bottom lip.

"Sakura-chan," he said, the strength in his voice slightly growing. "Everything will be alright – we'll find him."

Sakura nodded and smiled, blinking a few times. "I know, Naruto … It will be. I'll try hard here … you just be careful."

She pressed herself against him in an embrace and placed her head against his chest. They stood there silently for a moment till he heard her whisper to him, her voice breaking. "I just want him here in my arms … safe. Where he should be."

"He will be, Sakura-chan – he's our son. He's a strong kid."

Despite that, his words of encouragement didn't lift his spirits and he couldn't stop guilt from scratching at his heart. Masato's angry face was etched in his mind and negative thoughts kept surfacing before him. He was starting to hate himself. It was true he had made promises – made them, and then broke them. He hardly saw his son at all. When he had finally promised to teach him a technique, he screwed it all up. And now, Masato was lost. He had no idea, no clue, of where he might be and it was actually scaring him. It had been a long, long time since he had felt this way. All he wanted right now was for Masato to be beside him.

Even as he was leaving the village with his three escorts, his son's last words kept echoing in his mind. Again and again.

"How can I, Dad? When you can't even understand mine!"

I'm so sorry, Masato …

X

Masato couldn't stop get over his astonishment. It had struck him like a wave, but instead of passing, it lingered within him till he was certain it would induce a permanent change. He was used to seeing many bizarre things, no matter what his age was. He was, after all, a shinobi-in-training, and with that contract came the pleasure of experiencing unforeseen happenings. Talking frogs, individuals that defied the force of gravity, the ability to transform oneself completely. Numerous other things. But this, Masato was not at all prepared for.

Meeting his twelve-year-old father.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto cried happily, flashing a grin as he held out his hand. His cerulean eyes twinkled with good-humour, and Masato felt his inner fear diminish slightly – he was so familiar with that look. It was always passed to him each day at home, and it constantly filled him with a sense of serenity and peace. Even when he was younger, he knew that as long as his father was around, he'd be safe. Nothing in the world could harm him when he was with Naruto.

This immediately brought him back to reality … what the hell was happening?

He realised that Naruto was still holding out his hand in greeting and wrenched away from his endless thoughts. He swallowed hard and found his throat was really dry. Managing a small smile, he reached out and wrapped his hand around other boy's in a shake. He quickly introduced himself, despite Jiraiya having already done so for him. "I-I'm Masato."

"There's always room for a third member!"

"Thanks …" Masato mumbled meekly.

"OK, you two." Jiraiya retrieved two backpacks that had been lying against the base of a nearby tree and swung one on his back. "We need to head out soon. We'll have a quick dinner and then it's time to get moving."

Naruto blinked. "Already? But we just got here yesterday."

"Change of plans, Naruto. We're gonna escort Masato here to his hometown … we'll go back to training afterwards."

Masato knew what Jiraiya meant there. He did say he was going to help him in any way he could, and he was intending to. Masato's appearance wasn't any coincidence. There was blatantly something going on. Before going forth to meet Naruto, Jiraiya had had a brief talk with him regarding the situation. He had mentioned something about a Time-Space technique, but he was also unsure about that. It could have been something else. One thing was certain though. Masato was very far from home. Jiraiya wanted to reverse this as soon as possible. He didn't know how, but he was going to try. This was tampering with time. And it was unacceptable.

However, there was one thing in return that the Sannin wanted.

"Masato … you must not tell Naruto exactly who you are or where you've come from. Under any circumstances, he mustn't know."

They had their dinner at a small but adequate shack on the outskirts of the village, exactly on the route that they were to take. Although Masato hadn't eaten for quite a while, he didn't have more than three bites of nigiri rice, and even that was a side dish. He was feeling nauseous. The events that had led up to this moment were swirling in his mind; like pieces of an obstinate puzzle that refuse to come together and fit. One minute, he was running towards that strange man, and the next, he found himself lying on a broken food stall.

"I think I've perfected meditation now," Naruto said, wolfing down ramen from the large bowl in front of him. At least that much hadn't changed.

Jiraiya gave him a bemused look. "You can never perfect meditation. It's interlinked with your mind. It keeps evolving, cause' you evolve mentally too with each passing day. Even me – at this age, I'm still learning new things."

Masato noticed the man glimpse sideways at him and he quickly looked down at his plate of unfinished food.

"Say, Masato …" Naruto began.

"Yeah?"

"Whereabouts is your hometown?"

Masato blinked, taken back and then opened his mouth to reply, desperately trying to remember names of places in his Geography class at the academy. He glanced helplessly at Jiraiya, who stepped in.

"He lives in a small village – on the other end of the next country."

Naruto frowned. "Where's that?"

"It's a bit hard to explain, see," Masato said hurriedly and trying to divert his mind, continued. "I'll show you – um, your ramen's getting cold!"

"I'm almost done with this one, anyway!" Naruto slurped in a few noodles. He swallowed them quickly, and quirked his brows at the other boy. "Um, aren't you gonna finish your food?"

Masato bit his lip and said weakly, "I, uh … I'm not that hungry, thanks."

"You sure?" Naruto asked, and then smirked as he glanced at Jiraiya. "Who knows when we'll get a chance to eat like this again?"

"Hey!" Jiraiya clenched his teeth and raised his fist at the blonde. "You should be thankful that I'm still around! You'll wish for me, one day!"

Before Naruto could reply to that, Masato spoke up in a small voice. "He always does …"

Jiraiya lowered his hand; his face grew solemn as he stared at him. Masato looked back for a while and there was something almost sorrowful in his eyes that shook Jiraiya to his very core. It was only Naruto who seemed oblivious to the silent exchange between the two.

"Well – it's been a long time since we've eaten properly like this!" Naruto glared up at the man but surprise replaced his irritation when Jiraiya's large hand landed on top of his head. His brows shot up and he opened his mouth to say something when he saw a look of admiration on his teacher's face. It made him speechless. Jiraiya's smile widened and there was a glint in his eyes that Naruto rarely saw.

"You're one crazy kid, you are."

"Huh?"

Almost an hour later, they left the small restaurant. Jiraiya was annoyed because he wanted to make it quick and set off earlier, but Naruto argued that the arrival of a beautiful, young customer delayed their leaving. As the two continued their debate, Masato silently walked alongside them. He listened politely as they spoke but his mind was elsewhere. He wondered what his parents were doing. If they had found out about him yet … if they were worried. He shook his head at the stupidity of the statement. Of course they'd be worried; they were his parents. He was also starting to feel immensely ashamed of himself – mainly because of his mindless outburst at his father. He knew he was angry, but he was beginning to regret what he had done. He was sure that he had hurt him.

But then again, he was actually content with meeting the younger Naruto. He displayed a huge amount of energy and cheerfulness; it was quite different to his older self. No doubt, there was still that same determination. That fire. But for some reason, it just wasn't the same.

"We can have some ramen in the morning," Jiraiya was saying casually. The argument had settled down; with the contributors agreeing that the cause of the delay was the appealing food and now they had moved onto their plans for the next day. "What do you say, Masato?"

Masato returned the smile that the man shot at him, and he said. "Yeah. Ramen would be perfect."

"There's one small problem, though …" Naruto whispered, although it was loud enough to hear in the silent terrain they were treading.

" … You finished the noodle supplies, didn't you?"

"..."

"Naruto …"

"I couldn't help it! I was so hungry when you left – I couldn't train properly!"

"AND YOU STILL HAD A FEAST AT THE RESTAURANT!"

"I NEED MY STRENGTH!"

Masato felt himself grinning at the two. Jiraiya was exactly the way his father had described him. Loud and perverted. But alongside that, there was loyalty in his words and strength that lingered in his eyes. He was someone that made a commitment, and stuck to it. Like he had when he was declared Naruto's godfather. It hadn't even been a day, but Masato felt extremely lucky. This world, this time … was a complete mystery to him. But with these two, he felt safe.

They began to settle in after walking about a mile. The moon was high in the sky and there was a pleasant breeze about. Jiraiya had made sure to situate their camp off the road, into the forest on the other side. Around these parts of the country, it wasn't safe to travel by road in the middle of the night.

Soon exhausted began to creep in and Masato felt himself drifting off to sleep. Snored him of Jiraiya's slumber and he knew that Naruto too was sleeping because of the way he was positioned. Spread eagle, with half of his blanket on the ground beside him. Masato smiled. No matter how young, it was still comforting knowing that his father was around. Even if he didn't know it yet.

Author's Notes: I hope this was enjoyable for you guys! The next chapter sees Naruto and Masato teaming up in a fight.

Thank you for the reviews and the favorites/alerts! I'm really excited that you like this story. Hopefully, you'll continue to. The plot will develop further in the next chapters.

Oh, and my other stories are on hold for a while. A short while. It's only that I can't really think of what to write, although it's in my head. But they will be delivered.

Reviews will be lovely! :)